Ever since she was a little girl, Savannah Uqdah longed to pose for pictures and strut down a runway with flashbulbs bursting. But as an observant Muslim who didn't want to violate Islam's tenets on modesty, the aspiring model assumed that designers wouldn't hire someone unwilling to show some skin.

Uqdah shelved her modeling dreams and instead expressed herself through the fashions she wore.

Nailah Lymus started her fashion label, Amirah Creations, in 2004. She has met and heard about lots of Muslim women who were interested in modeling, but didn't pursue it because they assumed they would be asked to model clothing that violated their beliefs.

In New York last February, during Fashion Week, Lymus launched Underwraps Agency, which connects modesty-minded models — Muslim and non-Muslim — with designers.

Since then, her agency has contracted with four Muslim female models, getting them work in photo and video shoots, as well as runway shows during Fashion Week.

One of them is Uqdah, whom Lymus knew from the Brooklyn mosque they both attended, who will be modeling for the plus-size label Ann Nahari during the upcoming Fashion Week Feb. 7-14 in New York.

“It was a dream come true,” said Uqdah.

Lymus is mostly focusing on Muslim models, as Muslims are underrepresented in the industry. But she said the demand for modest clothing cuts across religions and cultures. Ultimately, she wants Underwraps to be known more for its modesty than a Muslim orientation.

As an example, she points to Kylie Bisutti, a Victoria's Secret model who abruptly retired from lingerie modeling last February, citing her Christian beliefs and desire to be a good wife. She still models less racy clothing.

Islamic views on modeling vary. Scholars from the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary in India issued a fatwa in 2010 condemning female modeling as un-Islamic because it puts the female body on exhibit. A few fashion magazines in some Muslim countries will not show women's faces.

“You have to show the clothes. You can't have fashion without models,” said Eid, whose daughter is a designer with Calvin Klein in New York.

Industry veterans say there's a need for modesty-minded models.

“I'm in constant need of models for my company and a Muslim modeling agency would help me profusely,” said Melanie Elturk, CEO and chief designer of HauteHijab.com, an online Muslim fashion retailer in Chicago. She shows fashions on dress forms to avoid any controversy, but some products just need to be displayed on a human body, she said.

Lymus said there's greater demand for modesty than the fashion industry realizes.

Since launching Underwraps, she has received more than 400 queries from aspiring Muslim models from several different countries, including the United States, Indonesia, Great Britain and Australia.

“There are a lot of individuals, Muslim or not, who wear modest clothing,” Lymus said.